Hope this doesn't anger anyone Old People and Staffs

Just came to mind this one . Couple of weeks ago when I was in the vets an old boy and his good lady came in with their young staff for an eye injury. The staff was huge and very friendly about 9 months old I think he said and extremely exciteable , to the point where he was having a little difficulty in controlling him. I soon learnt not to make a fuss as it made the old boys life really difficult and I remember thinking at the time thats not a good situation as he didn't seem to have the strength to keep him under control . Saw the same guy today in town and said hello asking after the dog, the dog wanted to say hello too and again he was having difficulty.
The dog is absolutely fantastic condition and obviously looked after very well but as far as suitability and being able to react to problems I'm not sure.

not just staffies dave iv posted about this before there an old lady must be well in her 80s walks with a stoop and very slow and you see her walking her 1yr to 18month old bostrous labby its an accident waiting to happen
the last few months he not so jumppy as she loves him to much and he getting really bad overweight but to me that adding to the risk as if he getts spooked he got so much more weight behind him he will pull her over

bigwazza wrote:not just staffies dave iv posted about this before there an old lady must be well in her 80s walks with a stoop and very slow and you see her walking her 1yr to 18month old bostrous labby its an accident waiting to happen
the last few months he not so jumppy as she loves him to much and he getting really bad overweight but to me that adding to the risk as if he getts spooked he got so much more weight behind him he will pull her over

It's such a shame as they all make great companions but I really think unless they have good help for walks from the family etc then they should really downsize to a JRT or something , he was a fantastic looking boy though and a real powerhouse

haha tell the truth you were tempted to try for three

I agree thecase you quote does appear to be a problem. At dog training there is an 86 year old lady (who looks like she could snap in two if the wind blew) who handles a big GSD with ease. I suppose it is all about training. Believe me if Tyson got excited even my big burly son would have trouble if he started pulling. However, on the other hand son would not allow that behaviour in Ty.

bigwazza wrote:haha tell the truth you were tempted to try for three

and suppose I did want one to call "Tiny" ............. he was proper handsome and his head was massive

It is a concern. Most owners are well suited to their dogs that I come across the only problem being the new foundland type that has been pulling his owner around the park for the year that I've had Ledger, this is the dog that Ledger went for when it pulled too close to us and last week I saw it jump up at a girl of about 8 (scary stuff it was nearly as tall as her on all fours)

It annoys me when this happens. If they want a dog thats totally fine, but get a smaller one that is less strong or perhaps an already trained one. I have this idea i want to open a shelter for old people, and take in homeless dogs and train them up to be old peoples dogs lol

Hayley wrote:It annoys me when this happens. If they want a dog thats totally fine, but get a smaller one that is less strong or perhaps an already trained one. I have this idea i want to open a shelter for old people, and take in homeless dogs and train them up to be old peoples dogs lol

It's just a shame the dogs are so strong as far as a companion goes you could never want for a better dog, maybe he's had staffs all his life and just looks like he has difficulty

Dave wrote:

Hayley wrote:It annoys me when this happens. If they want a dog thats totally fine, but get a smaller one that is less strong or perhaps an already trained one. I have this idea i want to open a shelter for old people, and take in homeless dogs and train them up to be old peoples dogs lol

It's just a shame the dogs are so strong as far as a companion goes you could never want for a better dog, maybe he's had staffs all his life and just looks like he has difficulty

Bumped into an old couple a few weeks back with a king charles they went crazy for cuddles with Ledger, had staffys all their lives but got to the stage when their last on passed away where they knew they physically couldn't give a new pup the exercise it would need let alone 5-10 years down the line the woman was almost in tears talking about it

How old do you have to be to qualify as "Old People"

Far as I'm concerned I mean when you get to the frail shakey stage, this was how this old boy was or at least how he appeared

But you can get to the frail and shakey stage at any age, you don't have to be old. Surely its all about control, if you seen the same situation with a 30 year old you wouldn't talk about their inability to control was down to their age. And if you seen an 80 year old with a well behaved German Shepherd would you stand back in amazement and wonder how they had managed it at their time of life.

I have had big dogs all my life and I did 'downsize' - to a Staffie. I don't personally like JRTs, poodles, or shitzus very much but I know some people would have nothing else. Perhaps the moral should be don't get a dog unless you have the physical strength or mental agility to be a responsible owner - at any age.

Pollyanna wrote:
I have had big dogs all my life and I did 'downsize' - to a Staffie. I don't personally like JRTs, poodles, or shitzus very much but I know some people would have nothing else. Perhaps the moral should be don't get a dog unless you have the physical strength or mental agility to be a responsible owner - at any age.

Very well put